ConsumerWatch: How To Keep Your Jeans Looking New

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SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) — Finding the right pair of jeans can cost more than $100 these days. But keeping them dark and new looking can be a challenge.

Jean expert Carl Chiara revealed his secret on how to make jeans look new after years of wear. “Really think about every time you put that jean in the wash” he said. “Do you really need to wash it?”

Chiara said the key to keeping your jeans from fading is washing them gently and as little as possible.

Chiara also adds instead of using detergent look underneath the kitchen sink for cleaning products such as Windex and 409. These products can remove spots by simply dabbing with a damp sponge.

“There’s a really low concentration of bleach in those things and I find that it’s perfect and it also brightens the indigo a bit,” he said. To dry the jeans, Chiara said never put them in the dryer.

“That’s where you get the color loss, because you’re getting a lot of abrasion,” he said. “You’re getting a lot of heat and that’s definitely going to change the fiber in the indigo dye.” Instead, Chiara said jeans should be hung in the shower because the steam will freshen them up.

For a more thorough cleaning, Chiara said using a tub may be the best solution to washing jeans. His recipe – two tablespoons of mild organic liquid soap in six inches of room temperature water and a tiny bit of white vinegar to keep the indigo from fading.

If you must wash your jeans, Chiara said to turn them inside out, wash them in cold water and dry them with a clothesline.